I neglected to mention during today's programme that I am incredibly sunburned. Seriously, I'm like the posterboy for Severe Exposure this week and am all lobstery about the shoulders and back, thanks to my lengthy bike tour of Manhattan on Sunday (falling asleep in Battery Park for two hours didn't hurt, either.) As a result of all this, I've been wearing the same shirt for the past three days, which is a 100% polyester (meaning it doesn't snag on burned flesh) soccer jersey, which earned a passerby in a car to scream "MANCHESTER UNITED!" at me while I was walking back to the station after lunch today.

This made me enormously happy, as I've always wanted to be mistaken for a European football hooligan, even if only for a minute. If I don't wash the shirt soon, it's going to walk away by itself, so I must now go flip a few cars over and set fire to the local grocery market before I shatter the illusion. Have a stellar holiday weekend, and don't steal anything I wouldn't buy for you anyway.

Beck, Bogert, Appice

Superstitious

Roots of Metal

compilation

Gem

Suburban Girl

Hexed

Rarely does a song summon a universal jaw-dropping like this one does. If there is such a thing as a modern-day classic, this one definitely makes my list. I don't deserve to know a song this good.

Cheap Trick

Downed

In Color... And in Black and White

The Shins

Caring is Creepy

Oh, Inverted World

Someloves

Know You Now

Tales from the Australian Underground 76-89 2xCD

compilation

*

Cub

Loaded

Box of Hair

Pell Mell

Sky Lobby

Star City

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but Pell Mell has always reminded me of what I imagine you would hear if you held a stethoscope up to a computer.

Soft Pink Truth

Make Up

Do You Party?

When the mood takes me, yes. Although I would never refer to it as such. Featuring Drew from Matmos.

I do not like Electroclash. I do not like it, bitch I am. I liked this, however.

*

Larry Wallis

Crying All Night

Death in the Guitarfternoon

Possibly, the worst LP title of all time. That is not a challenge, clevertrousers.

*

Soulside

Trigger

Soon Come Happy

Hey Bobby Sullivan! Where'd you go?

Arcwelder

All Mixed Together

Xerxes

OK, about 19 billion people emailed and told me that "Xerxes" was a Persian King. Apologies for exposing my ignorance on the air like some kind of funky sore. I didn't realize you were all such upper crusties. I'm still partial to my "Sex Rex" theory, thank you very much.

Led Zeppelin

The Ocean

How the West was Won 3xCD

I went to high school in Trenton, not far from New Hope, PA, which was sort of a magnet for 80s punk and hippie kids to congregate in because... well, I don't know why. Ween lived there before they were famous, everybody seemed to have something to smoke or drink, and the local headshop sold tickets to all the punk shows at City Gardens. I was firmly rooted in that kind of music by the time I started hanging around there, but the proliferation of dudes with ponytails who hung around on streetcorners playing the opening notes to Zep's "Over the Hills and Far Away" (and the ease with which these guys seemed to gather ladies at their side) was the only motivation I ever had to try the middle class hippie thing. Luckily, this notion was not entertained for any serious length of time. I never bought an acoustic guitar and I never learned how to play any Led Zeppelin songs. Most of the hippies eventually got beaten up by skinheads and Ween got famous, so everthing turned out alright as far as I'm concerned.

A Fall cover, also recorded by/for/at the BBC. John Peel is a busy man.

Frog Eyes

One in Six Children will Flee in a Boat

The Golden River

*

Pearls Before Swine

Playmate

One Nation Underground

Pica Huss

Middle Eastern Song

Shave the Baby!

compilation -- this track caused multiple anxiety-related outbursts among three former/current residents of Ohio. Everybody just settle down. Or else the Royal Crescent Mob records come out next week.

Frijid Pink

Tell me Why

Frijid Pink

Sam and Joe

some thoughts to reflect on this July 4th weekend...

Fear of Smell compilation

Sam and Joe are actually Sam McPheeters and Joe Martin, they of Born Against and Citizens Arrest/Hell No fame respectively. I once had a very nice conversation with Joe on somebody's porch. Similarly uninterseting factoid: I bought the "Murders Among Us" 7" single from Sam for two dollars and 40 cents at a hardcore matinee at Middlesex County College many moons ago. Never let it be said that I don't get a lot of mileage out of this "comments" field on my playlist page.